Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-10-05
HISTORY OF CHARCOAL.
The Old and the New Way OF
Making the Product.
A business That Has Undergone n Won
derfuI Change Within n Pew Years
How Wood-Alcohol Is " AIDE
In "Acid" Factories.

dorful Change Within Pew Years
How Wood-AIcohOl Is " ade
In 'Acid" Factories.
A two-story picnic barge was tied up be-
side North river pier near Harrison
street, says the New York SHH. The picnic
business had not been good for it's owner,
and he had turned TO another line Of bust
ness by Transporting lightweight merchan-
disc in it from the upper waters Of the
Hudson a gang of men that formed two
long professions, travelling in opposite
dire tons. were carrying rough bags fall
OF charcoal from the barge and loading
them on trucks on the pier. A bright
young man, who could he p tally Of the
bags smoke n good cigar, and talk at the
same time stood ut the end of the gang
plank and made a mark in n book every
timca rlan with bag passed him. To q
stranger who was curious to know some
thing about the Charcoal business he said:
This boa;-load Of charcoal came from
Albany. Tho coal was made up in the North
woods somewhere, most likely out of wood
stolen on Of the State lands. There has
been great change in tho charcoal district
recently.
''In the old days the charcoal-burner
drove stake in the center of q piece of
cleared ground or cleared of n piece Of
ground around n saplng, and then proceed
ed TO stand cord-wood up around il ON end
until the pile was about forty feet in diane
ter and two lengths high. Then he piled
sods and earth all over the pit, leaving n
small hole hero and there around the bot
tom and one small one in the top When the
wood was well covered in he set il on fire
and let it burn till well ablazc, and then
closed up the draughts around the pile For
two NgDpgg tlRrRu ffar tho .l,r Il I,,,r,
with another man to keep watch and watch
with him, sat by the pile and smoked his
Pipe. Now and then the fire would break
through the covering, and he would have 10
cover up the hole. Sometimes he would
nave To make a hole on q side where
the fire was not disposed to 60. In
lew days black tar would begin to oozc
out through little drains made for its escaDc
around the bottom. During all the time tho
pile was burning u picturesque column of
smoke rose out OF The chimncy-holc left in
the top. When tho tar ceased TO flow and
the smoke To rise the charcoal-burner knew
that the pit was buried out, and aftor allow
ing day or so for cooling he shoveled off
the sods and Garth, poured water on such
Chunks OF coal rs happened to be on fire,
and was then ready TO load the product of
his labor into dusty, black, covered wagon,
and, with his mules to pull it, drive to town
and make himself hoarse shouting: cha
a-a-r-r-coal! Char-coa-l' He got about
twenty-five bushels Of coal out Of a cord of
wood and twenty-five cents out of a bushel
Of coal.
But no found time to mediate, and that
after long years amounted to something.
Out Of his mcditations grew the revolution
In tho business. Singular as it may seem.
the most valuable product Of the charcoal
pit was the picturesque column Of smoke
that rose up and was disspated in the air
above the pit while the fire lasted 1t was
like throwing money into the river to let
that smoke blow away. Some bright gcniis
discovered that the smoke was in good part
alcohol and that tho alcohol for mechanical
purposes was just rs good as grain or fruit
alcohol though not at all good to the taste.
In fact, would take the throat out of Null
berry street tramp.
"Thc problem Of getting the alcohol out
OF the smoke was simple. Instead of burn
ing the wood in pit, the genius borrowed
capital and built retorts large enough to
hold two cords of wood each. They were
made in the shape of round steam boilers
and mounted over brick furnaces as bollcrs
arc. The rctorts were filled with hard
wood, soft being of no account, and fires
were started in { . urnaS's. The wood was
baked and the volatile clements of the wood
were driven off through pipes that were
laid IN big trough Of running water, SO as
to form condenser on the principle Of a
steam condenser.
Tho liquor that ran from the condenser
was simply condensed smoke. II was con-
Quoted To u tank, where 1t was mixed with
lime. The limo combined with certain acid
constituents Of the smoke and left wood al
cohol free. The alcohol was drawn OF and
distilled once or twice to refine it, just rs it
would be distilled in grain distillery From
i've to six gallons OF alcohol were obtained
from cord OF wood.
"Thcu the compound Of lime and acids
was taken out OF the watts, and dried down
in shallow watts until it became the CONNER
cial substance known as acetate of limo.
About $50 pounds OF the acetate were OBJ
tanned from cord OF wood. Hero, then,
wcrc two very valuable substances OBJ
taincd from the smoke, and although some
additional labor and 4 valuable plant had
been necessary TO secure the smoke. the
extra expense was trillc compared with
the value OF the new products.
"Finally when the tar had ceased to flow
from tho pit, tho rctort was opened. In
stead Of twenty-five bushels of coal to the
cord obtained in the pit, tho charcoal burner
found sixty bushels TO the cord in his re-
tort So the charcoal bur acr hired men 10
do the yelling on the will; &C streets for him,
paid OF the usurcr who had loaned him the
capital, threw away his jean trousers and
pipe, and, in n moro becoming garb, set
down TO smoke twcnty-iive-ccnt cigars
The fact Is, the new business was like any
other thing; it was enormously profitable
until the rest of tho world rushed into Il
and cut down prices.
"Still. no one need complain who owns n
good acid factory. Acid factory Is a name
adopted by those who do not like to stop
and explain to every inquirer that while they
arc producing alcohol the stuff is not the
sort that incbriatcs anybody. The charcoal
pays all the expense Of buying wood. pay
ing wages and delivering the products on
tho market, and leaves little margin for
interest on the investment besides. Tho
alcohol and the acetate arc clear profit. but
that Is not all; there is a very good product
OF ashes. Tho fire in the furnaces is kent
burning with charcoal dust and broken
charcoal that does not sell well on tho mar
kct, and with tho tar that oozcs out of the
retorts. There are several bushels of ashes
Tor each cord of wood, and the ashes are
worth from ten 70 fifteen cents bushcl Mt
the factory, where they usually have ready
salo TO the farmers for fertilizers. They
are also bleachcd and used in making not
ASH. Thinking Of such q business as this
makes n fellow wonder whether there isn't
lots oil stun going to waste rs the smoke did
that might BIZ utilized and make us all rich -